Scrum V
by Cariad
Summary: A charity sports match reveals more about Booth and brings him and Bones closer. Just a bit of fun...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - Bones and all its lovely character belong to someone else

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"Come on Bones, it's a good cause." Special Agent Seeley Booth was once again trailing his lab coat-clad partner around the Jeffersonian trying to persuade her to do something that she didn't want to do. 

They had already done a circuit of the autopsy table and been up two flights of stairs and then back down again.

"I'm sorry Booth, I'm busy." Temperance told him, not turning around or slowing down as she headed towards her office. Booth's long coat was flapping against his leg as he followed her.

As she walked into her office, she realised that she had probably made a mistake. Sure enough, Booth stood in the doorway leaning against the door on one side, with his hand braced against the frame on the other.

She was trapped.

She started sorting through the papers on her desk, still avoiding his eyes.

Booth surpressed a smile, Bones was pretty cute when she was flustered. He moved away from the doorway and sat on the edge of her desk. Her face was obscured by the curtain of rich brown hair, but she was still studiously ignoring him. Suddenly, he leant forward and put his hands on top of the two stacks of paper she was sorting through.

She looked up with a glare, surprised to find Booth's face only inches from hers. He didn't move and she looked at him unblinkingly

"Busy doing what?" He asked, a puzzled smile crinkling his brow, "Working in here?"

She didn't say anything, just sat back in the chair with her arms folded. Trying to ignore the waft of aftershave she'd caught as he'd leant over and the strange sensations it caused. And trying to ignore the way his brown eyes were sparkling as he regarded her challengingly.

"I have a job you know." She announced.

"I'm aware of that Bones, but you know what, you don't actually have to work on Saturdays." He sat back leaving the piles of paper unguarded now he had her attention.

"Really?" She said in mock astonishment, "I'll remember that next time one of your hot little lawyers in a mini-skirt needs a favour." She grinned to herself when his almost imperceptible flinch conceded the point to her.

"That's low Bones." He said sadly, then brightened immediately handing her a flyer, "It'll be fun."

She cocked her head on one side, "Booth - do I look like the sort of person who spends time at sports games?"

Booth ignored the question, "There's a fun fair too." He paused as she scanned the flyer, "You wouldn't leave me all alone would you? With no-one to cheer me on?"

She looked at him curiously, and cursed inwardly, _how was she supposed to resist when he looked at her like that?_

"Come on, please?" He said, knowing that she was weakening, "Hey, if you're really lucky I'll probably get flattened in a game."

She put the flyer down and looked up at him, "Fine, I'll come! But don't forget to ask Ange, Zach and Hogkins."

She found herself breaking into a smile in response to his triumphant grin. _He's like a big kid half the time!_

"Great. Pick you up at 9:30?" He asked.

Temperance looked at him in surprise.

"Your place is on my way to the park," he explained, "Parking will be a nightmare, one car is easier."

She thought for a moment, then nodded with a sigh, "Fine, whatever. Pick me up at 9:30 on Saturday."

Booth flashed his charming grin and then pushed off her desk, back onto his feet, "See you later Bones."

She watched him stroll out of the room, surprised to find herself wishing that he wasn't wearing his bulky coat. She decided that line of thought was not one she wanted to pursue and tried to make a start on some work, but her attention was drawn to his flyer - _'Scrum V - Charity Rugby Tournament.'_

She rubbed her forehead with one hand. She hated spectator sports, and she didn't even know the rules for this one, yet somehow Booth had got her to agree to go. She placed the flyer face down on the table, telling herself firmly that the prospect of seeing Booth in a pair of shorts like the ones the grinning players on the flyer were wearing had nothing to do with her decision.

(TBC)

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(Hope this isn't too obscure a story line... It should be a fun one...) 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the encouraging reviews - I wasn't sure what people would make of this story.

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At quarter past nine on Saturday, Temperance was sitting impatiently in her kitchen a mug of coffee in one hand and a letter from her publisher in the other. The letter was her regular update on sales and possible deals for overseas releases for her books. It was all good news, but its contents wasn't really sinking in. 

She put the mug down abruptly and tried to turn her thoughts away from being surrounded by loads of people she didn't know, while participating in sporting cum social gathering which she knew nothing about. She had almost called Booth to cancel on Friday, but Angela had made her promise to go. She looked across at the clock with a sigh. Of course, Angela hadn't mentioned then that she and the rest of the Squint Squad wouldn't be joining her and Booth until lunchtime; that minor detail had been saved until first thing this morning.

The doorbell interrupted her musing. She stood up and put her mug in the sink, before collecting a small bag. The spring weather was pleasantly warm, but it would still get chilly standing around outside all day, so she put a coat on over her jumper and picked up a scarf.

She opened the front door; Booth was leaning against the passenger side of his car, looking relaxed in jogging pants and a sporty fleece. He smiled and waved. She raised her hand in a half-hearted greeting and then turned to lock the door.

Booth opened the passenger door for her, before walking round the other side and getting in. He could tell that she was less than enthusiastic and he wondered if this had been a good idea, but as he watched her walking toward him, her hair tied back loosely and a defensive expression on her beautiful features, and he realised that it wouldn't have felt right going today without her. As that realisation sunk in, he stared unseeingly at the steering wheel.

"Booth - hello?" Temperance said waving a hand in front of his face.

He looked up with a start, and found that she was leaning in close. His eyes widened as he took in the puzzled smile curving her lips, only inches away from his. He swallowed and breathed out, "Hi."

Temperance's brows knitted together, "Hi," she replied slowly, "Everything okay?"

Booth nodded, still gazing intently into her eyes.

Temperance shifted uncomfortably as she realised how close their faces were once again. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek and her heart was starting to race. She sat back in her seat and looked forwards out the windscreen, "Good."

Booth squashed the feeling of disappointment he got when she moved away and said, "Sorry. In a world of my own there." He grinned at her, "You okay? All set for today?"

She turned slightly to reply, "I'm fine. Still not sure about spending the day watching a testosterone-fuelled mêlée, but I'm here."

Booth's smile widened in acknowledgement of that miracle and he pulled out from the kerb.

The drive downtown was quiet. The roads were largely empty and neither of them felt inclined to make conversation, but as they drove along, Temperance started to spot banners for the tournament and signs pointing to the car park.

She turned to Booth curiously, "So how does this work?"

"What the game in general, or this tournament?" He queried.

"Both, I guess." Her chin was resting on her fist as she stared out of the window.

His eyes flicked sideways to look at her and he smiled, "It's a annual tournament - it's the fifth one, hence the 'V'. There are teams from all over playing, a lot of the embassies in Washington put out sides. It's a big game in some parts of Europe and in Australia, New Zealand, places like that. It's a big fundraiser for a couple of international charities. Today it's the group games and then tomorrow is the quarter final, semis and the final."

Temperance turned to face him in surprise, "Tomorrow?"

Booth nodded and smiled wryly, "I wouldn't worry, I've never made it beyond the group stage! Our team is a bit, well, ad hoc."

"Ad hoc?"

"Yeah, as in this is pretty much the only game we play each year." In the mirror, he could see that she was looking mystified, "It's an ex combined services team, guys who used to be in the air force, marines, navy, army. We all know how to play after being based with Brits or Aussies or whoever, but we don't play actively. There is a league in Washington, but we're all too spread out, too busy to play regularly, but we make an effort once a year."

Temperance nodded, but found that she was even more surprised that Booth had asked her to come. He rarely mentioned his past and certainly never talked in any depth about his time in the army; yet now, he was taking her somewhere where she would meet people from that period in his life. She wondered what that meant.

There was another pause, then Temperance asked, "So are you going to explain the rules?"

He gave a heavy sigh, "I'll explain as we watch a game - it's a bit complicated." She gave him a stony look, "Seriously, it'll be easy with people playing."

Booth was saved from needing to give any further explanation because they had arrived at the entrance to the car park. He chatted briefly with the attendant, who was wearing a yellow bib, and was directed to the participants area. It was already quite full and large numbers of people were milling around. He pulled into a space and grabbed his bag from the back seat.

"Ready?" He asked.

Temperance replied by picking up her bag and getting out.

Booth shook his head slightly and opened his door. He locked the car and walked over to stand next to her. She looked up at him, "I guess we follow this lot?" She said pointing at the people walking towards a large marquee with huge 'Competitors' banner on the top. Booth nodded and, without thinking, placed his hand on her back and steered her towards the marquee.

(TBC)

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(Will get more interesting - I promise!) 


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews and for going with this story idea.

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As they walked towards the marquee, Temperance started to look at the people around them. It was an odd mix. There were lots of men, which she supposed made sense, but they seemed to come in all shapes and sizes. There were big hulking guys, well over six foot four; but there were also short, squat men with muscular legs and no discernable neck; and plenty of others who frankly looked like they needed to get on a Stairmaster. She wasn't sure how these disparate looking people could play the same sport. She glanced briefly at Booth, and decided that he looked fitter than quite a few of the other people she could see, but his physique definitely fitted with one of the groups of body types all around them. 

She also noticed that there seemed to be lots of families, most people seemed to be walking with a partner or a handful of kids. It was a relaxed atmosphere and every few moments there would be a shouted greeting, and then shaking hands or hugs as people bumped into friends. They had almost arrived outside the marquee, when an ear-splitting whistle cut through the air and someone yelled, "Booth!"

Booth stopped and turned towards the voice, his arm sliding round her back and his hand coming to rest at her waist. Temperance saw one of her short, squat types, wearing a red shirt and wide grin, pushing through the crowd towards them waving his arm. She looked across at Booth, who was also smiling.

The red shirted man was still about ten feet away from them, when he shouted, "Sut mae Booth! Sut rwyt ti?"

"Iawn diolch, Huw. Sut rwyt ti?" Booth replied as his friend came to a halt in front of them. He barely reached Temperance's shoulder.

His friend grabbed his hand and started shaking it enthusiastically as he said, "Da iawn diolch."

Temperance was watching the exchange in astonishment, she had no idea what language they were speaking. Booth's friend turned to her expectantly and smiled.

Booth made the introductions flexing his fingers gingerly after a crushing hand shake, "Huw, this is Temperance. Temperance, this is Huw." Huw offered her his hand, which she took somewhat tentatively.

"Lovely to meet you, Temperance." Huw said expansively and his eyes flicked between her and Booth, assessing. "Booth buttie, you've been keeping secrets."

Booth raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

Temperance was about to explain that she and Booth were just co-workers, when she realised that Booth had his arm around her. She felt wave of heat rush through her body and she became acutely aware of every millimetre of his body that was pressed against her side. She wondered why she was only noticing now, but the truth was that it had felt so natural for his arm to be around her she had simply enjoyed the sensation without thinking about it.

She was brought back to the present by another shouted greeting, looking up she saw a dark haired woman in a loose jersey dress, with a long knitted cardigan waving at Huw and then turning to walk towards them with a wide smile. A little girl with a mass of dark curls was clutching her hand. Suddenly the little girl spotted Booth and pointed. She let go of her mother's hand and ran over calling, "Uncle Seeley!"

Booth smiled, and after gently disengaging his arm from Temperance, crouched down. He swept the little girl into the air and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Bore Da Carys. How's my favourite god-daughter?" Booth asked smiling at her.

"I'm fine. Daddy's going to win today you know." She informed Booth with the solemn certainty that only a four-year can manage.

"Is that right?" Booth replied, grinning at Huw over the top of her head. Huw shrugged, palms facing outwards.

Carys nodded vehemently and then she spotted Temperance, "Who's that?" She asked pointing.

"Carys, cariad, don't point. A low pitched, amused voice spoke just next to them. It was the woman in the long dress.

Booth leant over and kissed her on the cheek, "Hello Nia. You look great, how're you feeling?"

The woman smiled and gave Booth a warm hug, before holding her arms open for him to hand over her daughter, "I'm good thanks." She put Carys down on her feet and then patted her stomach protectively, "This little one isn't giving me too much trouble. Yet." She paused and smiled warmly at Temperance, before turning to Booth, "So are you going to do the honours?"

Booth smiled, "Sure. Temperance, I'd like you to meet Nia. Huw's wife. Nia, this is Temperance."

Nia laughed slightly and then shook Temperance's hand. Her eyes swept Temperance up and down appraisingly, "Seeley, don't think that you're going to get away with such an uninformative introduction."

She gave Temperance a conspiratorial look, before turning to her husband and Booth, "You both need to register. And get changed." She pointed towards the marquee.

"We'll wait here for you here."

Neither moved.

"Come on, off you go." She raised an eyebrow and then gestured to Temperance, "Don't worry about us, we'll have plenty to talk about."

Temperance was aware that Booth was watching her closely. She didn't really want to be left alone with a stranger, however friendly she seemed, but she wasn't going to cling to Booth's coat tails all day. She shrugged, "Go on Booth. See you in couple of minutes."

Booth smiled encouragingly and then moved off into the crowd with Huw. Carys had decided to accompany them and her father hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

Temperance watched at Nia warily, who smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to chase Seeley off like that and embarrass you. It's just men's introductions don't tell you anything about anything." She pursued her lips slightly, "Did Seeley explain who we were?"

Temperance shook her head slightly.

Nia rolled her eyes and looked over at a drinks stall, "Let's grab a coffee and I'll fill you in."

(TBC)

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(The shorts will appear in the next chapter...) 

For translation: It's the equilvalent of "Good morning. How's it going?." and "I'm good thanks." in reply.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you very much for the reivews.

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Nia insisted on buying the coffee and they sat on the plastic chairs set out in front of the coffee bar. The spring morning was getting warmer and there were very few clouds in the sky. 

"First rugby game?" Nia inquired.

Temperance nodded, then decided to step in before Nia began asking awkward questions about her and Booth.

"What do you and Huw do in Washington?" she asked.

"Me?" Nia queried, "I'm a diplomat, I work at the British Embassy." She shrugged, "Second Secretary - Economics. It's an analysis and negotiation role. It's really interesting. Huw's a defence consultant." She paused, "What do you do?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist, I head the lab at the Jeffersonian..." Temperance trailed off as she saw Nia's eyes light with recognition. "What?"

"You're Bones." Nia announced.

Temperance's shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes, "Only to Booth."

"Really?" Nia said absently before focusing her penetrating grey eyes on Temperance, "There was me thinking that Seeley had conjoured you out of nowhere today, but actually he's been talking about you all the time."

Temperance felt herself blush. Part of her wanted to run as far away from this conversation as possible, but the other half wanted demand every detail of what Booth had being saying about her. She stared at her coffee.

Nia continued, "How long have you been dating?"

Temperance's head jerked up in shock, "We haven't. I mean we aren't!"

Nia looked at her in disbelief, "You're joking?"

Temperance could almost hear Nia's thoughts _- why are you here today then and why did he have his arm around you? _She shook herself, "Really, we just work together."

Nia opened her mouth and closed it, biting her lip, after a moment she said, "I'm not going to say anymore or you'll think I'm incredibly rude, but just so you know, Seeley's a great guy." She nodded encouragingly a couple of times.

Temperance laughed slightly, "I know." She said as her blush returned.

Nia tried to fight back a grin, "Good." The grin won out, "You know, it's so funny actually meeting you. We've had 'Bones' this, 'Bones' that for the last ten months, I knew there was something in his voice when he talked about you..." She stopped again, "Sorry, I said I'd stop fishing for details."

Temperance waved the apology away and asked a question of her own, "How do you know Booth anyway?"

"Through the army. Huw was posted with him once." Nia paused, "Huw was a Royal Marine; Seeley was a US Ranger." She poured another sachet of sugar in her coffee and stirred it in, not looking up as she continued to speak. "An operation went badly wrong. Huw's squad got cut off, several were killed, all of them were injured."

She halted and rubbed her right eye for a moment, before continuing, "Seeley saved Huw's life. Got badly shot up in the process. They spent two months in adjacent hospital beds."

She looked across at Temperance and smiled slightly. "They stayed in touch, and when Carys was born, Seeley was the only choice as her godfather. Without him, she wouldn't be here." Her smile widened, "We were so pleased when I got posted to Washington. Seeley helped us find somewhere to live, and to get to know the city. Parker's the same age at Carys, they're at the same pre-school. We share the school-run when Parker's with Seeley."

Temperance noticed that Nia's gaze had shifted over her shoulder, she turned in her chair and saw Booth and Huw threading their way through the crowd towards them. She and Nia stood up and waved.

Temperance's eyes widened as she looked at Booth. The jogging pants had been discarded. She wasn't sure about the black knee high sports socks, but the shorts looked good, or at least the muscular thighs they revealed did. She stared at his quads, wondering how much he leg pressed at the gym to get that level of muscle bulk and definition.

She finally managed to drag her gaze away from legs and locked eyes with him as he came to halt in front of her.

"Everything okay?" He asked quietly, one hand on her arm.

She nodded, gazing at him silently, her mind skittering all over the place. She could see the gentle concern in his brown eyes, but more than that she was simply aware of him. His presence burned so brightly in front of her, that the sunny morning and the hundreds of people milling around seemed to fade into the background. She felt her stomach tilt and turn over. She didn't recognise the feelings surging through her body, or at least she wasn't willing to acknowledge them yet.

Booth was watching her in puzzlement, slightly unnerved by the intensity of her gaze. He'd never expected to inspire that sort of look from Bones_. Hoped maybe, but never expected_. He let go of her arm and caught her right hand and held it in his.

The touch broke the spell. Temperance looked at him in surprise, but she didn't pull away. He tilted his head questioningly, offering her the chance to disengage. Instead she smiled and laced her fingers through his.

A muffled chuckle from behind them caused them both to turn around. Huw and Nia were studiously looking the other way, but not succeeding in hiding their smiles.

"Daddy, are you going to play yet?" Carys asked tugging his shirt.

"Not just yet, lovely. I get to watch Uncle Seeley get beaten first." He'd broken out into a wide grin, "Don't I?"

"Very funny, Huw." Booth said.

Temperance and Nia looked confused, "His team are in the same Group as the New Zealand embassy side and one of the local Irish teams. They're playing the Kiwis first."

"Oh dear." Nia said.

Temperance looked blank.

Booth sighed, "What Huw means is, we're playing the reigning champions of this competition in the first game and then one of the strongest sides in the Washington league." He began to smile slightly, "Personally, I think the draw was fixed. Still, I'd better find the rest of my team and get this over with. We're playing on pitch six, shall we head over?"

Huw and Nia nodded.

Booth sighed again, "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't want to watch..." They began to walk towards the large playing area marked out as pitch six.

(TBC)

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(Game on - next chapter. 

I went to see a rugby game last night, driving rain, pitch like a mud bath, impossible to tell which side was which after about 20 mins. Five tries - was fantastic! Lots of inspiration...)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Thanks so much for the reviews. I've had a couple of queries, which I've tried to answer below.

The pronunciation of Huw is very similar to the English name Hugh, but more of a "hew" sound. Nia is pronounced Knee-ah. That's probably not very clear, sorry. My grasp of phonetics is pretty useless!

The language that Huw and Nia (and Booth) are speaking is Welsh, or Cymraeg more properly. I'm afraid that my vocabulary doesn't stretch much beyond Booth's!

This chapter is a bit explanation heavy (sorry), but I needed to put the detail in as so many reviewers mentioned they didn't know the game.

**On with the story...**

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"So, you survived the third degree then?" Booth asked Temperance as they walked along hand in hand. A breeze had started up and was ruffling her hair. 

"I don't know what that means."

"It means, I take it you survived what was undoubtedly a barrage of questions from Nia." He explained.

She nodded and the shrugged, "It's logical that she should be seeking information about a friend of yours that she hasn't met before."

"It is?" Booth said, eyebrows raised.

"Of course. I took the same opportunity to find out more about how you know them. They're obviously old friends."

"Oh..." Booth's felt a prickle of concern about what Temperance might have learnt. He made a hurried inventory of any dubious stories Nia would be aware of.

Temperance saw the flash of panic in his eyes and smiled, "It's okay. No sordid truths were revealed."

Booth smiled slightly, "That's a relief." He paused, "Not that there are any of course."

Temperance was about to reply when someone in a knot of men standing off to their left called Booth's name. He turned with a wave and walked towards them. The group turned out to the Booth's team. Hands were shaken and backs were slapped in greeting. Several of the men eyed Temperance with interest, but one look at Booth's face ensured that they just smiled politely.

Temperance quickly realised that Booth didn't know all of them and remembered that he'd said the team was very ad hoc.

Booth introduced her to his team-mates as 'Temperance', giving no more information about her than he had to Huw and Nia._ Why didn't he say that she was a co-worker? Or a friend? That would be how she would introduce him, wouldn't it?_ But as she thought about it, she realised that neither description really encapsulated their relationship and for some reason, that disturbed her.

Huw, Carys and Nia had caught up with them and Huw greeted a few of the team by name, then he asked "Where're your supporters standing then?"

A tall, blond haired man, who Temperance now knew was called Andy, pointed to a group of people, mainly in dark blue, standing by the rope alongside the pitch about 15 metre away, "They're all over there."

"We'll get out of your way and join them." Huw said, then clapped Booth on the back, "Pob luc, buttie."

Booth snorted and then smiled, "Thanks."

Huw grinned and put his arm around his wife and started to walk away.

Booth turned to Temperance, "Well Bones, enjoy the game."

He reached across to tuck a wind-blown strand of hair behind her ear, "Huw'll explain the rules. It's good actually, it'll distract him from his usual running commentary."

They stared at one and other for a moment, leaning in slightly, but a call from Scott, the team captain, for a team talk broke the moment and Booth looked away.

Temperance was about to walk off, when she impulsively caught his arm. He turned to face her.

"Good luck Booth." She said quietly and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. After a moment's astonished pause, she bolted after Nia, leaving Booth watching her speechlessly.

* * *

Booth's team, the Services Exiles, or the just the 'Exiles' as a number of home-made signs referred to them, had a good number of supporters. Friends, parents, wives and children were all standing in little groups alongside pitch. Temperance smiled in greeting, but hovered at the edge of the group. 

She looked back towards Booth. He had his back to her, and like the rest of the team was stretching in preparation. He bent down to touch his toes. She stared a bit harder - _he really filled out his shorts nicely_. She caught herself, _since when do I stare at Booth's butt? Or kiss his cheek?_

She spun round and decided she needed something to distract herself from Booth's world class rear. She walked over to Huw, who was spreading a blanket on the floor for Carys to play on.

Nia smiled across at her, and then gestured to the blanket, "Have a seat, please."

Temperance smiled her thanks and sat down on one edge. Nia sat in the middle and Huw sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

Nia patted the blanket, "Come on, you can have a bit more space than that." She patted Huw's hand on her shoulder, "He won't sit down when the game is on. He'll be too busy shouting instructions that no-one is interested in."

Huw feigned hurt, then grinned, "It's true enough."

"I was wondering if you could explain the rules?" Temperance asked.

"Of course, I didn't realise you were a virgin." Temperance sat back abruptly.

Nia tapped her husband's hand in reprimand, "He means, he didn't know you're new to rugby." She explained apologetically.

"Figure of speech," he explained. "I'll give you the short version. Most of it'll be easier to explain when they're playing. Have you got a programme?"

Temperance nodded and pulled it out of her bag. Huw turned to the middle pages where there was a brief summary of the game.

"Okay. Basics first. There are two teams, fifteen players each. The pitch has got H-shaped posts at either end along the goal line," He paused to point them about, "There's a half way line and then a line ten metres in and then the 22, before you get to the goal line." He pointed each out in turn and Temperance noted that they were sitting just beyond the 22, but before the ten metre line. "The touchline goes all the way round. You're out of play if your foot is on or over the line and you're holding the ball. The ball's oval by the way." He added as an afterthought. "The players are divided into forwards and backs. The forwards give the backs the platform to run at the opposition and score." He looked at Temperance's slightly glazed look, "That last bit didn't mean much did it?" She shook her head.

"It will do." He took a breath, "There are a couple of ways to score: a try is worth five points, they're awarded for touching the ball down in your opponent's goal area. You get an extra two points if you convert the try, to do that you have to kick the ball through the goal posts. You get three points for a penalty, again a kick through the posts; and for a dropkick, which is different because you take the kick in open play, ball in hand. It's normally forty minutes each half, but we're playing shortened games today."

Huw paused to see if Temperance was keeping up, she nodded for him to continue. "I'm not going to explain scrums and lineouts and rucks and mauls now, but the basis of play is passing among your team and kicking the ball for position, and tackling the opposition to get the ball off them. You can't pass forwards, you have to pass behind you and then run on to make ground, or you can kick it up field. Tackling is the only legal way to bring down an opponent, no tripping allowed and you can't make contact above the shoulders. He grimaced, "Too many broken necks that way. No obstruction either, if the player doesn't have to ball."

Temperance nodded, filing the information away. "What else?"

Huw shrugged, "The rest will make more sense with a live example in front of us," He looked at his watch, "They'll be starting in a couple of minutes."

"You could explain some of the positions." Nia said.

"Oh aye." He looked at Temperance, "I'm a hooker."

Temperance gaped at him, "I thought you were a defence consultant!"

Huw looked confused, "I am." Suddenly his face cleared, "A 'hooker' is position on the rugby squad, it's my job to hook the ball back in the scrum and throw the ball in at lineouts. Booth usually plays outside centre, although he can play at inside or even number eight at a push..." He trailed off and stared at a man in an orange shirt who had appeared on the grass in front of them. "The ref's appeared. They should be on their way over."

Temperance looked over her shoulder, and sure enough Booth and his team mates were walking towards them, joking and chatting amongst themselves.

Booth paused on his way past, "Any chance you can guard my stuff?" He indicated to his bag.

Temperance smiled and nodded.

Booth smiled back, and handed her the bag. Then he reached up and pulled off his fleece, his shirt bunching up with it and giving Temperance a flash of toned abs and chest. She felt her face flush.

Booth chucked his fleece on the bag and then tucked his fitted, dark blue rugby shirt into his shorts, tying them tightly.

He grinned at Temperance and his other friends and then followed his team onto the pitch.

Temperance's eyes followed Booth as he walked away.

Her attention was suddenly caught by the opposition. They strode onto the field from the other side, wearing an all-black kit. They all looked like athletes, unlike a number of Booth's team, and while there were a few smiles, they looked like they meant business. She began to have her own doubts about how Booth was going to get on.

She looked at the opposing team more closely, her inner anthropologist noting that the team was a mix of Caucasians, Maoris and Pacific islanders. Her interest was piqued as the players formed a rough half circle with two rows. Booth's team lined up facing them, some distance away.

She turned to Nia curiously, "What are they doing?"

"The Haka. It's a challenge to the opposition." She pointed towards the pitch, "Watch."

Suddenly, one of the players began to stalk through the lines of his team mates shouting his challenge. Temperance watched in fascination as the players shifted position so that they were standing with their feet wide apart, with knees bent and forearms in front of their chests, parallel to the ground one above the other. They joined in the chant, shouting 'ke mate' in unison and slapping their hands against their thighs. The chant continued and the movements altered, with chests being slapped. Then the left arm went out in front and the right was closer in and they started to edge forwards. The chant continued and their arms, bent at the elbow, went up vertically in front of them, before they smacked each arm in turn several times. A final lunge forward and a loud final challenge of 'Whiti te ra' and it was over.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically. Temperance was impressed, "That was amazing."

Nia smiled widely at her, "Always gets the crowd going."

The referee indicated that the Exiles had won the toss and they opted to play towards the end of the pitch their supporters were sitting next to.

As a player stepped up to take the kick, Huw spoke, "That's their fly-half, he's a key player. Will take most of the kicks, for points or position, makes a lot of the decisions - to run or to kick."

The fly-half made a solid connection with the ball and hefted it deep into the opposition half. Temperance watched as the two side ran towards one and other and the ball hurtled down out of the sky. One of Booth's team mates jumped for it, but was beaten by a huge New Zealand player, who caught the ball in both arms and was throwing a pass to his right almost as soon as he landed. The player ran forward and then off-loaded as a he saw his way forward was cut off. The next player slammed into a wall of Exile defenders, who tried to drag him to ground.

To Temperance's astonishment he stayed on his feet. His team mates came rushing in from behind and locked their arms around one and other. Their forward progress continued.

"That's a maul." Huw commented. "There was a tackle, but the ball hasn't gone to ground. They'll keep it up because they're moving the right way and they're pulling in defenders." He pointed to the blue-shirted players rushing to reinforce their team-mates.

Suddenly the maul fractured and the New Zealanders rushed on another ten metres. Then the ball came out and was spread out to the left, flying from hand to hand.

"They've got an overlap!" Huw said excitedly.

Temperance looked where Huw was pointing and saw two black-clad players running with no Exile players in front of them. The ball came to the first one and he ran onwards.

Temperance suddenly saw Booth, charging across the field angling his run to meet the New Zealand player. The ball was passed outside again as they crossed the 22, the New Zealand winger was running along the touchline.

The crowd was cheering.

Booth sprinted, closing in.

The try-line was in sight, but Booth dived, his arms locking around the waist of the winger and his momentum took them across the touchline. The linesman lifted his flag.

The crowd cheered again. Temperance was surprised to find that she was on her feet, gripping the rope fence.

She turned to find Huw standing next to her grinning widely. "That was a bloody good tackle!"

She nodded dumbly, watching as Booth stood up and then hauled the man he'd brought down to his feet. He jogged across the field as two rows of players lined up parallel to the goal line. A short player stood in touch, holding the ball.

Temperance pointed, "Is that the hooker?"

Huw nodded, "Yup. Good guess, by the way." He paused, "It's a lineout. He has to throw it in straight, but it'll be way above their heads. The only way to catch is to jump, with some help from your team mates."

The ball was thrown in and caught by one Booth's team, who had been lifted by two of his team mates. The player passed it left and the receiving player kicked towards touch. The ball didn't make it and rolled along the ground just beyond the 22 before being gathered up by a New Zealand player, who began to run forward. He passed the ball and then it was passed again, but it wasn't a clean take and the ball bounced forward off his arm.

The referee blew his whistle and two groups of eight players formed up in rows of three, two and three, opposite each other. They were a strange mix of the shortest, squattest men on the team in the front row and then the tallest in the second row.

"This is a scrum." Huw commented, watching intently.

Each group of eight locked arms around one and other. The referee stood in the middle of the two sides as they started to bend over, the heads of the two front rows almost touching. The referee stood back and shouted, "Engage."

The two front rows slammed together with an audible grunt. All eight players on each side pushed with every sinew in their bodies.

"Now the scrum half puts the ball in." Huw pointed to the slight figure, who threw the ball into the straining mass of bodies, before running to the back of the scrum. Suddenly the ball appeared and he picked it up and passed it wide. The ball changed hands again and then Booth had the ball and was running down the field.

As he side-stepped one tackle, Temperance was vaguely conscious that she was jumping up and down yelling his name. Unfortunately, he couldn't dodge the second New Zealand player, who slammed into his side knocking him off his feet. Booth disappeared under a pile of bodies, as more players on both sides piled in.

(TBC)

* * *

Had to get the Haka in - it's awesome, apologies if the description is not totally accurate; if you've never seen it try to find a video clip. 

It's quite possible I've got few errors in the application of the laws of the game- let me know if so. In my defence, even referees get it wrong sometimes...


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hello! Back again. I'm really sorry about the delay in updating - work has been unbelievably busy (in fact I should be working now... but that would be too boring.)

Thank you all for your reviews - I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter.

I have no connection with New Zealand by the way. It was just an appropriate nation to represent rugby (when the Welsh team is not available because a key member needs to explain it all to Tempe...)

**Story continues below:**

* * *

"He's kicking that player!" Temperance exclaimed pointing at an Exile player who was trying to join the pile-up of bodies on the field. 

Huw shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "The player's lying in an off-side position."

"And that makes it okay?" Temperance asked incredulously.

Huw turned towards her, surprised by her shocked tone, "Pretty much. I mean, he's deliberately lying there to slow the ball coming out of the ruck." He paused, "What you want in a ruck is to recycle the ball quickly, get it out and back into play as soon as you can. By lying there he's making it more difficult. He knows perfectly well that he should just roll away - just as he knows that he's going to get a few digs from the boot for his trouble." His eyes narrowed as he watched the referee, "If it doesn't come out soon the ref is going to blow for a scrum."

Suddenly the ball appeared and the Exiles passed it out left, before running into a solid defence line. The players who had been in the ruck picked themselves up quickly and Booth emerged from the bottom of the pile unscathed.

The game continued and began to settle into a less frantic rhythm as the New Zealand Embassy side began to assert their superiority. They battered into the centre of the Exile defence, forcing them to commit players before executing dazzling passing manoeuvres that exploited the gaps appearing on the wings. The Exiles were encamped inside their 22, putting up a dogged defence, but they were increasingly being forced to rely on kicking for touch to relieve the pressure and then defend a line out.

Booth was in the thick of the action, making tackle after tackle, but seldom getting the chance to run in attack. Temperance was unaware that her eyes were following him around the pitch.

After 20 minutes the New Zealanders had run in two tries and scored four penalties; the Exiles had a single penalty on the scoreboard. After another try saving tackle from Booth, the referee blew for half time.

The players grouped together in either half of the field, drinking water. A few received a quick check-up on bumps and bruises.

Temperance sat back down on the blanket and smiled her thanks as Nia handed her a carton of juice. Huw headed off towards a stall selling doughnuts, his daughter in tow.

Temperance's throat was feeling quite dry and she bit her lip in embarrassment when she realised that it was probably because she had been shouting so much during the game. She looked across at Nia shyly, who grinned back at her.

"I think I can assume that you're enjoying it so far?" Nia said.

Temperance nodded, unsure how to explain her instantaneous enthusiasm for the game.

Nia's smile widened, "It's always more fun when you have someone special to watch in a match."

Temperance felt herself blush, again.

"I'm not being funny - wait until you see me watching Huw. I'm like a women possessed!" Nia shook her head slightly, "And you don't even want to know what Huw's like when he watches me play."

Temperance looked at her in surprise, "You play too?"

Nia nodded, "It's great fun. Not a good idea in my condition though."

"I can imagine." Temperance said as Huw returned with the doughnuts.

Temperance took one when it was offered and enjoyed biting through the crackly sugar glaze, although by the time she finished it, her fingers very sticky. Her eyes strayed back towards Booth, who looked up from a stretch at the same moment and smiled at her.

Their gazes locked.

Temperance felt the heat rush to her cheeks again and a tingle run up her spine. The logical part of her mind wondered how Booth could have that effect on her while standing 30 metres away.

Booth gave himself a shake, staring at Temperance - particularly when she was licking her fingers - was likely to stir parts of him that had no place on a rugby field.

After a moment, they both looked away.

Then it was time to start the second half. The referee blew his whistle and the action restarted with the teams playing the other way.

It wasn't long before Temperance was on her feet again. The game followed a similar pattern to the first half. Booth's team started well and managed to get some possession of the ball. Temperance watched with baited breath as the Exile team crossed the halfway line. The player with the ball went down after a crunching tackle, but the ball was quickly back in play and passing along the line of blue-shirted players advancing on the New Zealand 22. Suddenly the ball was in Booth's hands.

He set his shoulders and charged towards the line. He side-stepped one defender and shrugged off another.

Temperance was gripping the rope and leaning forward to get a better view.

The try line was getting closer. He kept running.

Temperance was frozen rigid on the spot.

Five metres away from the line, a last desperate tackle scythed his feet from under him.

Temperance groaned in despair.

As he fell, Booth twisted in the air and stretched out towards the line. He landed with a jarring impact on his chest, with both his hands stretched above his head holding the ball, he had nothing to break his fall.

His eyes screwed shut in pain as the breath was knocked out of his body and his tackler's knee dug into his hip.

He opened this eyes tentatively to see the referee blow his whistle and hold his flag aloft to signal that the try had been awarded. Booth grinned triumphantly into the turf, sure he could hear Temperance shouting his name somewhere in the distance.

Booth's try spurred both sides on. The New Zealand side struck back with a magnificent running move of their own, which was let down by their own poor handling, metres from the try line. The Exiles, too, piled on the pressure, but lacked the incisive edge needed to cut through the New Zealand defence.

Tiredness started to creep in as the game moved into its final five minutes, with errors becoming more common and tempers starting to fray. A wild tackle from an Exile player, which felled a New Zealander and left him massaging his throat, gave away a penalty, but also started a shoving match. The referee weighed in and broke it up quickly, standing fearlessly between two hulking second rows who were taking swings at one and other and topped him by at least a foot.

Temperance knew that there were only moments left. She wondered if the Exiles could get one more try, which would take their score to at least eighteen. Her hopes rose as they started to run the ball towards the left flank again, but were dashed again as they were swallowed up in a ruck, Booth among them.

She gave a gasp of concern as she saw a New Zealand player's fist make firm contact with Booth's face as they both surged together in the ruck.

The ball turned over and came out on the New Zealand side and Booth stood up slowly, shaking his head from side to side. Temperance was astonished to see his assailant put a friendly hand on his shoulder, seemingly checking that he was okay.

Her hands on her hips, she turned to Huw to demand an explanation, "How is that okay?"

He smiled mildly, "Accident." He glanced at her irate expression and wondered if she was going to march onto the pitch and smack the player back. He'd heard some stories about Bones' enthusiasm for direct action.

But before she had time to act, the ball trickled out into touch and the referee blew for the end of the game.

The players all shook hands, offering congratulations or commiserations as appropriate, before the two teams trooped off. The New Zealand Embassy team had opened their title defence with a win, 13 points to 32, but the Exiles were pleased to have got on the scoreboard and not let their opponents romp away with it.

Temperance had to stop herself from clambering over the rope and running out to greet the slightly battered figure trudging towards her. She waited, her attention riveted on him and her eyes darting up and down his body: registering the fact that he was breathing heavily from the exertion, his chest filling out his shirt as he took in deep breaths; taking in the reddening bruise on his cheek from where he had been punched and realising that he was favouring his left leg slightly from his painful, try scoring landing.

For his part, Booth couldn't tear his eyes from her and the fierce, yet tender way she was looking at him.

He came to a halt a few feet away.

Temperance stepped over the rope and closed the distance, catching his hands in hers.

They stared in silence for a moment.

"You played really well," Temperance said quietly, surprising him.

He smiled and gave a deprecating shrug, "Still lost."

She frowned and then gently reached toward his cheek, her hand hovering, not touching the reddening skin, "Does it hurt?"

He grinned, "Yup." His gaze drifted away from her and towards his friends who were watching them avidly. "Probably should see if Nia's got any ice."

Temperance murmured her agreement, feeling stupid for not thinking of it herself. She turned away.

Booth stepped in close to her and cupped her face, making her look up at him. His lips were inches away from hers.

"Or maybe you could kiss it better?" He whispered.

TBC

* * *

Sorry - fluff is the order of the day when work sucks! 

Hope you like it - please review if you have time, it's always lovely to hear what people think.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for the reviews and for the welcome back after my work-related hiatus. I felt very guilty for leaving you with a bit of a cliff hanger - and was suitably punished by finding it really difficult to develop the next chapter. Hope it worked out okay!

**On with the story...**

* * *

Temperance's conscious mind didn't register his words; all of her attention was focused on the feeling of his warm breath on her face and the lips that were tantalising inches away from hers. 

Her eyes closed, and her lips brushed his. That brief, intimate caress sent a shiver prickling up her spine and along her scalp. Then his mouth was pressing back against hers, intensifying the kiss and she felt his arms encircle her. Her own hands came to rest on his hips, pulling him closer.

His muffled curse, as she touched the sore spot where he had been injured in the game, brought reality crashing back in.

Her body went rigid in his arms as she realised that she was kissing Booth, her co-worker, in the middle of rugby pitch, in broad daylight, in front of about two hundred spectators.

Her face was flaming with embarrassment and she tried to pull away.

Booth's arms tightened their hold and he planted a kiss in her hair.

"It worked." He murmured, breathing in the flowery scent of her shampoo.

She stopped trying to break out of his embrace.

"What did?" she asked, resting her forehead on his shoulder, not daring to look at him.

"I can't feel the pain in my cheek anymore." She felt his chest vibrate with a slight chuckle, "Either you kissed it better." He paused, "Or distracted me from the pain by poking my battered hip."

She looked up at him quickly, caught been apology and exclamation, but as she watched a slow smile spread across his features, the words died on her lips. It was like seeing him for the first time, stripped of his usual charming grin, presenting only a gentle, hesitant smile and a hint of something more, hidden in the depths of his dark eyes.

They stood, gazing into each other's eyes, for a long moment. Before they realised that they had developed quite an audience. A number of Booth's team-mates were watching with some interest behind them and most of the rest of the crowd were also staring.

Booth coughed slightly, "I think maybe we should get off the pitch."

Temperance nodded and then asked quietly, "Did Huw and Nia spot us?"

"We're stood right in front of them on an almost empty rugby pitch, Bones. Kinda difficult for them to miss." He slid his arm around her shoulders. "But hey, be grateful, as far as I can tell neither of them appear to have a camera." With that, he eased her round to walk back towards his friends.

Nia beamed at them proudly as they stepped over the rope fence and came to join her and Carys, "Great game Seeley." She congratulated.

"Two great scores there." Huw commented, earning himself a stern glare from Nia. He ducked away from Booth's half-hearted swipe in his direction and bent down to roll up the blanket. He looked up sheepishly when he was done, "Well played though."

Booth grinned back, his arm tightening around Temperance's shoulders.

"Have you got any ice?" Temperance asked.

Nia shook her head, "Sorry, we left one of the bags behind today." She ruffled her daughter's hair, "Someone was determined to watch the end of her cartoons this morning so we left in a bit of a hurry. Don't worry though, there are medical tents all over." She glanced around the field and then pointed, "There's one two pitches over, see the red cross on it?"

Temperance followed the direction of her arm and then nodded, "We'll just head over there to get Booth's cheek checked out."

"Good idea." Nia said, smiling to herself as she saw Booth blink in surprise at the way Temperance was taking charge of him.

Huw was back on his feet with the blanket tucked under his arm and the bags over his shoulder, he said, "I'm playing in about ten minutes, over on pitch two."

Booth nodded and then clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Good luck. We'll be over to watch as soon as we can." He rolled his eyes slightly, "Hopefully this shouldn't take very long." He leant down to pick up his bag. "See you later sweetheart." He said waving goodbye to Carys and smiling at her mother. Temperance smiled and waved too before they headed off in opposite directions.

Booth had hardly believed it when Temperance had come to him at the end of the game, still less when she had kissed him. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but for now he was content to luxuriate in their new found intimacy and give them both a chance to adjust.

As they walked along, Temperance marvelled at how right it felt to be walking with her arm around Booth's waist and with his arm resting on her shoulders. The prospect had crossed her mind often enough, but she had always told herself that it would feel strange, awkward. Booth squeezed her shoulder and she looked across at him. Her heart flipped over in her chest as she saw the expression in his eyes.

They stopped walking and Booth brought his free hand up to caress her face before burying it in her hair and pulling her in for a heartfelt kiss. It was still tentative, but there was an edge of confidence to the contact now they were more sure of their own feelings and those of the other. Temperance could feel Booth's heart thudding in his chest as he pulled her closer to him and she could feel her own breathing speeding up. As she recognised how much the kiss was affecting her, she pulled back, suddenly unnerved by the startling new direction their relationship was taking.

Booth felt her tense up in his arms and he was unsurprised when she stepped back from him. He smiled gently at her, not saying anything, but letting his emotions show on his face. She looked up at him, her lips pressed together to as she fought to control her surging feelings.

He paused, and then kissed her temple, "Don't dwell on it Bones. It just is."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I admit that wasn't very articulate. You know what I mean though, let's save the analysis for later." He nodded encouragingly at her.

Temperance's expression cleared and she managed a watery smile, "Okay." She whispered.

He grinned back at her and, arms still around one another, they headed towards the medical tent.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hello - thank you for all the reviews and comments on the previous chapter, much appreciated.

* * *

"Pull your shorts down, please" The diminutive, blonde haired woman ordered. 

Booth crossed his arms defensively as he sat on the edge of a temporary bed, making no move to do as instructed.

The doctor rolled her eyes, "Come on. I can assure you that I've seen it all before." She pointed at Temperance who was not succeeding in hiding her amusement, "And I'm sure that there aren't going to be any surprises for your girlfriend either."

Temperance's grin disappeared immediately and she shifted uncomfortably in the tiny camp chair in the corner of the first aid tent, but the doctor had already turned her attention back to Booth.

Booth rolled his eyes and started to tug at the ties around his waist. He glanced over at Bones who was gripping the armrests of the chair, looking as if she was about to spring towards the exit. He caught her eyes and smirked challengingly.

Temperance glared at him for a moment, then folded her arms and sat back in the chair raising a single eyebrow in response.

Booth swallowed. _She wasn't leaving._

He pushed off the edge of the bed and stood up, still struggling with the knots. He worked the final one loose and hooked his hands in the waistband to push the shorts down.

Temperance wetted her dry lips, telling herself firmly that she should at least turn away and give Booth a bit of privacy, but finding herself unable to tear her gaze away.

After a moment's pause, Booth pulled his shorts off. He stood with arms folded once again, wearing a pair of figure hugging Calvin Klein's. His rugby shirt was doing a reasonable job of protecting his modesty.

Temperance managed about half a second of staring, before she felt her face getting warm and she had to look away. She peered intently at the floor, wondering if she had blushed more times today than in previous five years. After a few moments she found herself stealing a second glance and rapidly concluding that his leg muscles were even more impressive without the shorts. Her eyes flicked up to meet Booth's and he quirked his brows at her questioningly. _What does he want, a score? No way I'm telling him on that evidence he's at least a nine, maybe nine and a half._

The Doctor tutted internally as she watched the interaction between her patient and his beautiful, dark-haired friend, "Lie on the bed, please, so I can get a good look at you."

Booth did as he was told, but protested as he did so, "Doc, all I wanted was some ice for my cheek."

The Doctor nodded condescendingly, "You'll get that when you leave. You were limping when you came in here, so I'm going to have a look at your hip. You do want to play in the rest of the tournament, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah." Booth replied with a sigh and lying back on the bed, his hands linked together behind his head.

The Doctor tilted her head at him, "Play nice now, or it'll be ice in your shorts."

Booth screwed up his eyes in alarm and the doctor grinned at him, feeling slightly guilty about her bedside manner. She had learnt in previous years at this event that a slightly spiky approach was the best way to get through the weekend, without acquiring a list of phone numbers a foot long and seeing flashes of more parts of the male anatomy than she normally saw in a year. Not that she'd be complaining if this particular patient offered his number - she glanced acros the tent - not likely with his girlfriend in tow. Focusing back on the task in hand, she leant down to look more closely at the angry red mark on Booth's hip and pushed the waist band of his underwear down slightly. She prodded the injury lightly and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. She watched his expression as she continued to poke. After a few minutes, she stood up.

"No bones broken, but you're going to a have an impressive bruise." She paused as she picked up a spray can, "This'll reduce the pain and keep down the swelling for a while, but it's going to stiffen up over the next day or so." She sprayed the icy contents of the can over Booth's hip. "I'd tell you to stay off the leg and not play anymore today if I thought you'd listen..." She left the sentence hanging and Booth just grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Quite." She said gesturing for him to sit up, "At least try to take it easy." She instructed.

When Booth was sitting on the edge of the bed once again, she paused to peer at his cheek, turning his head to and fro slightly in the light.

"Fortunately that just looks superficial." She said after a few moments and then turned to Temperance, "The ice packs are in the box under your chair, if you'd like to grab one."

Temperance did as she was told and bent down to reach under the chair. By the time she had pulled the box out, lifted the lid and picked out an ice pack, Booth was back on his feet and back in his shorts. She stood up too, and pushed the box back with her foot.

"Thanks Doc." Booth said with a grin.

"You're welcome." The doctor's smile took in both of them, "Have a good day and be careful."

Booth laughed and walked over to Bones. He put his arm around her and they walked out of the tent with a wave.

Standing out in the sunlight they both blinked a couple of times.

Temperance offered Booth the ice pack. He shook his head slightly, "Let's find Huw's game and I can sit with it then."

Temperance thought about protesting and then shrugged, the doctor had said that it was just a superficial injury. She put the pack in her bag and after a moment of looking around, they worked out which way they needed to go to find pitch two.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** As always, thank you for reading and particular thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter.

* * *

They picked their way through the crowds of people heading towards where Huw's game was just about to get underway. 

"How's the hip holding up?" Temperance asked as they strolled along.

Booth glanced down at her and smiled, "Fine. Can't feel a thing. The magic spray did the trick."

"Magic spray?" Temperance repeated with a shake of the head.

"Sure Bones, guaranteed to cure sports injuries. At least temporarily." He qualified.

Temperance couldn't help but smile at the playful look in his eyes and she stretched up to kiss his uninjured cheek. He came to halt and turned his face so that their lips made contact instead. He saw her eyes spring open wide, and he quickly reached across to stroke her jaw line and smooth the hair back from her face.

Almost in spite of herself, Temperance found herself settling into the embrace and she placed one hand on the back of his neck, her fingers raking through his short cropped hair.

Booth's other hand shifted to her waist and pulled her closer. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Temperance wondered what it was about being with Booth that turned her into such an exhibitionist, but the thought was lost as she pressed her body against his and slid one hand down onto his butt.

This time, they paused only because they needed to draw breath. Temperance took a shuddering gulp of air and looked into Booth's eyes shyly.

He looked stunned. Slowly his gaze focused on hers and he brushed her cheek with his finger tips in silent wonderment.

Temperance realised that she was having difficulty catching her breath again, but this time she knew it was the result of her emotional rather than physical reaction to Booth.

Booth watched the emotions play across her features as she began to acknowledge the depth of her feelings. He saw flashes of insecurity and defensiveness, and her desire to avoid being hurt. He held his breath. As he continued to watch and gently touch her face, he saw a new light come into her eyes as she focused on hopeful, happier thoughts.

He watched her reach a decision and smile at him before she caught his hand and held it in hers between their chests. She paused and then spoke quietly, "This is going to take a bit of adjusting to."

He nodded and tightened his grip around her waist, "But it's going to be worth it." He whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.

Her eyes were bright with moisture as she squeezed his hand in acknowledgement.

Booth gently disengaged his hand from hers and enveloped her in a hug. She pressed her cheek into his neck, holding on for dear life. After a few moments they pulled apart, and lacing their fingers together, they continued on their way stealing little glances at one and other as they walked.

* * *

The supporters of Huw's team were easy to spot as most of them seemed to be wearing bright red shirts, even little Carys was showing off her own mini-version on under her coat. 

"Just in time." Nia said as they joined her on the touchline. She was holding Carys' hand firmly and she smiled ruefully, "She'll be chasing after the ball every time it goes into touch if I don't look out."

After checking that Booth had been given a clean bill of health, she gave a quick run down of the two teams. "Huw's team are the Dragons, all Welsh. Well, Welsh-ish. They're playing in red and right to left this half." She paused, "The opposition are a local side, Anacostia something or another, they're not bad, but not great. Huw's lot should win."

Nia didn't comment on their joined hands or the palpable sense of intimacy between them, but Booth could tell that she was struggling to rein in her curiosity. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to face a flood of questions.

The Anacostia side had the kick off, but his first touch of the ball did nothing to calm the nerves of their fly half and he sliced the kick horribly. The ball trickled along the ground without travelling the requisite ten metres, which meant the Dragons had the choice of a scrum or a line out. They went for the scrum, which they won after two resets. After a few passes the ball went loose, the Dragons regained possession, but the player with the ball in hand disappeared into a ruck.

"Scrappy." Booth observed as he pulled his sweater back on.

Nia nodded and then shrugged, "Early days. It should settle down."

Booth smiled at Temperance, who was watching the game closely, "Ready for a test?"

She turned to him looking puzzled, "Huh?"

His smile widened into a grin, "Well, I'm curious as to how much you learnt about the game earlier."

Temperance eyed him challengingly and took a step towards him, "Quite a bit." She pointed towards the pitch, "That's a ruck." She paused, "If the ball doesn't come out soon there'll be a scrum."

Booth dipped his head in acknowledgement.

She winced as two players collided as they jumped for a high ball and then continued, "And it's a very physical game."

They looked at one and other silently for a moment. The game carried on in front of them, but couldn't command their attention.

Booth watched her eyes widen as she looked at him. He didn't want to be at a rugby match. He didn't want to be with his friends. He wanted to be somewhere alone with his beautiful partner - and he wanted to kiss her again. He glanced away at the ground to break the moment and force back a series of ill-considered truths that had come hurtling to the tip of his tongue. _No way we are ready for declarations of any sort yet,_ he chided himself firmly.

To distract himself, he reached out and pulled her towards him, locking his hands behind her back. She smiled up into his eyes.

They both jumped at a sudden vibration and stepped apart slightly. Temperance sighed and pulled her mobile phone out. Booth's forearms were resting lightly on her shoulders, his hands dangling loose.

"Hi Ange." She said as the phone connected. Booth watched her expression flicker as she listened to her friend. Absently, he moved one hand and started to loop her red brown hair around one finger.

Temperance glanced at his hand for a split second and smiled before focusing back on the call.

"Okay, well one o'clock is fine." She paused and tapped Booth's other arm to get his attention. "Where will we be at one?"

Booth thought for a moment, "Pitch five. My next game will be about to start."

"Did you hear that Ange?" Another pause, "Okay. Yes. Just look out for a load of supporters on pitch five in dark blue."Temperance began to laugh slightly, "Yes, there are lots of men, but not they're not all fit." Whatever Angela said next caused her to blush and rush into her goodbyes. "Uh... well...See you later. Bye."

She closed the phone with a snap and shoved it in her pocket. As she stared off into the distance, a little frown line appeared in her brow. Booth could tell she was thinking about seeing Angela and the others later. He was surprised to feel his stomach lurch as he wondered if she'd pull away now that she realised her friends from the lab would be arriving.

"Everything okay?" He asked quietly, still twirling her curls around one finger.

Temperance heard the tension in his voice without really registering the words, her fears about revealing their evolving relationship to her friends dissolved as she recognised similar fears in his eyes. She smiled reassuringly and then sighed in contentment as Booth buried his hand in her hair and pulled her into a searing kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Thank you for continuing to read this story and for the reviews of the previous chapters.

* * *

Booth was sat on the floor with the ice pack pressed firmly against his cheek, but his eyes were tracking the play on the pitch. The ball was being passed nimbly amongst the Dragons backs and they were making ground on the opposition 22. 

Nia was cheering and hopping from foot to foot. Booth could almost hear her repeating 'don't jump up and down, it's bad for the baby' as the tryline came into sight. He glanced across at Bones and felt a strange twinge in his chest. She was standing sideway on,a few feet away from him, holding Carys against one hip and smiling at the little girl's comments about the game. She had offered to look after Carys after instructing him to sit down with his ice pack and having realised that Nia would probably like a bit of freedom to watch the game. For someone who professed to be uninterested in kids, she had built up an instant rapport with his friends' daughter, and he didn't think that it was entirely down to Carys' sunny and trusting nature.

The Dragons attack was thwarted about ten metres out, as a solid tackle brought one of their wingers crashing into touch. The Anacostia team won the line out and booted the ball back just inside the Dragons' half for another line out, which the Dragons won, but not cleanly. The ball bounced and wobbled along the ground until it was scooped up by the Dragons full back. An Anacostia player was closing in rapidly and he had no time to set up a kick, so he threw the ball wildly to his left and it landed in Huw's rather surprised hands. He was unmarked and had a clear run deep in the Anacostia half. He hesitated momentarily, looking left and right, and then he put his head down and ran fowards.

Temperance stared at Booth, who had got up to stand next to her as soon as Huw had got the ball.

"What's so funny?" She asked taking in his amused smirk and barely concealed chuckle.

Huw was almost on the 22, when he ran directly into the Anacostia centre. He stayed on his feet and team mates were soon piling in and keeping the maul rolling forwards.

"You've just witnessed every front row's worst nightmare." He paused to yell some encouragement at the faltering drive, "Being passed the ball in a position where your only option is to run." He turned to grin at Nia who was glaring at him threateningly, "To be fair Huw's got a reasonable turn of speed, but slamming into that centre and driving the maul on is really more his thing."

The referee blew for an offence and the Dragons opted to run the penalty.

Nia's face relaxed into a grin, "That was a great run Seeley, and you know it. Mind you, if he'd scored then, we'd never have heard the end of it!" She turned her attention back to the game, "Let's see what they can do with this."

The Dragons had been slow to take the penalty, but somehow still managed to find an overlap on the left. Their backs fanned out, and running along the touchline, their left wing was able to sneak across the line and slam the ball down for a try just ahead of a tackle.

The ice pack had begun to dull the throb in Booth's cheek, but after a few minutes without it and yelling a lot, it was starting to ache again. Temperance noticed that he was grimacing slightly and stretching his jaw.

She reached over and touched his arm, "Are you okay?"

He smiled, enjoying the renewed physical contact, "Yeah. It's starting to ache again." He took in her silent stare, which was laced with genuine concern, "Back to the ice pack, huh Bones?"

She nodded slightly and stepped back to pick it up from where he'd left it on the ground. As she knelt down to grab it, Carys started to wriggle.

"Do you want to get down honey?" Temperance asked.

Carys nodded, "I want to ask Mummy something."

Nia had been watching the exchange and walked over to gather her daughter in her arms. She smiled her thanks at Temperance and moved back to watch the restart of the game as Carys chatted to her in a language that Temperance still didn't recognise.

She stood up, brushing the grass from the ice pack and handing it to Booth clean-side first.

He rolled his eyes but dutifully held it to his cheek. He stood behind her and wrapped his free arm around her waist. Then edged her round until they were both facing the game. She folded her arms across his, the fingers of her left hand laced through his. He leant down to nuzzle her neck gently before propping his right elbow on her shoulder.

She half turned in his arms to look at him quizzically, "So, I'm an arm rest now?"

He kissed the top of her head in apology and she turned back to face the match, squeezing his hand in acceptance.

There were only a few minutes of the half left and neither side was making much progress. Temperance noticed that a number of the supporters had switched from cheering and shouting encouragement to start singing. She felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck as voice after voice joined a rough, but harmonious chorus. Looking around she could see that almost everyone wearing red was singing. As the song reached what she assumed was the chorus, she was amazed to hear one section of the crowd break into a seemingly effortless counterpoint, echoing the words 'calon lan' in the tenor and bass range. She looked around and her realised that some distance away there was a group of about thirty older men who were leading the singing.

Nia noticed Temperance's surprised expression and explained, "We always try to get one of the choirs out here to coincide with the competition. They're very good - we're right at the end of their tour. Back to Rhondda tomorrow."

The song and the first half came to a close within the moments of the other. Temperance and Booth cheered enthusiastically.

The song had reminded Temperance of the question she had been meaning to ask Booth, "What language is that? I mean, I assume its Welsh, but how come you can speak it?"

She could feel Booth's silent laugh as her back was pressed into his chest. She let go of his hand and turned to face him, linking her hands behind his back.

He was grinning, "What, didn't think I looked like a linguist, Bones?" The grin widened, "Damn, never thought I get one up on the anthropology stakes. I can speak a language that you didn't recognise."

She pursed her lips and tilted her head on one side, but didn't say anything.

Booth's grin eased into a more playful smile, "Actually you've already heard about half my vocabulary - and that took Huw two months to drill into me." He paused, "I can also say 'Good morning, my name is Booth', count to ten and say that I like coffee."

Temperance's eyes were sparkling back at him, "Well?"

"What?" He said, dropping the hand holding he ice pack to his side.

"Demonstrate."

"Oh. Bore da, Booth ydw i. Rdyw i'n hoffi coffi." He shook his head, "No way I'm counting to ten."

"Rdwy i'n hoffi coffi?" She repeated incredulously.

He shrugged, "Come on Bones, you gotta admit, it's memorable."

They smiled at one and other and tightened their embrace.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hello. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Sorry that the chapters are coming in fits and starts, but work is still getting in the way... Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

The Dragon's game had entered the dying minutes of the second half and it was going to be a close run thing. The Anacostia team had played a lot better than Nia had predicted and the Dragon's had made too many unforced errors. They were currently losing by two points. Temperance's eyes swept the crowd and she listened to their irritable comments about their team's lack of concentration and poor decision-making. 

She turned to Booth, "What platform?"

Booth, who had been concentrating on the latest half-break into the Anacostia half, looked momentarily confused. "Platform?" he repeated questioningly.

"Everyone keeps muttering 'platform' and 'no angles' - what are they talking about?" She clarified in frustration.

"Oh that. They mean the backs aren't making the most of all the possession the forwards have won." He paused, "Huw and the rest of the forwards are winning loads of ball and setting things up - that's the platform, but the backs are either losing the ball when it gets to them or are not making any incisive runs - that means no 'angles' of attack that look like delivering anything."

Temperance nodded and listened as the choir began to lead the singing again, hoping, perhaps, to inspire their team towards victory. She suddenly realised that the tune sounded vaguely familiar. In her mind's eye she saw a flash of a white, clapperboard church with a spire in a leafy central square, her own hands tiny and held tightly by those of her parents. She fought the surge of memory and returned to the present with the sound of the distantly familiar tune swirling around her.

As the crowd reached the chorus, the Dragons won the ball. Their much maligned backs sprinted forwards in a scarlet wave, the ball passing swiftly from hand to hand as 'Bread of Heaven' rang out across the pitch.

It seemed that there was no way through. A solid wall of Anacostia defenders guarded the line, but somehow a Dragons' player jinked around one and then another before sliding across the line for a try. The referee blew his whistle to award the try and the crowd went wild.

Booth swept Temperance in the air and spun her round, ginning widely. She laughed, exhilarated by the atmosphere and the deceptive strength which allowed him to lift and swing her round so easily. She was also glad of a distraction that helped to dispatch the memories that had recently woken. As Booth set her down, she stood close beside him, nestled under his arm.

Play continued for only a few more minutes and then it was over. The Dragons had won.

Again, there were handshakes and congratulations from both sides. The crowd was appreciative of the close-run and entertaining match, but Temperance noticed that the critics on the sidelines could shout congratulations and praise in one breath, while lamenting their team's numerous perceived shortcomings the next.

She realised that Booth was listening to the comments with some amusement as he rolled his eyes at her. She followed his gaze towards Nia and Carys as Huw jogged up to his family and caught them both in his arms. Temperance and Booth both smiled as Carys' guileless delight in her father's victory brought a smile to Huw's tired face.

Then they walked over to offer their own congratulations.

* * *

Huw's game had ended at just after half past twelve and he wasn't playing again until two. Nia had promised Carys that they'd have a look around the funfair at the far side of all the sports fields. Temperance had been touched when they had invited her to join them, but had politely declined explaining that she wanted to see Booth's next game and was expecting some friends to arrive at around one o'clock. 

"We'll meet up later, yeah?" Booth asked Huw.

Nia looked at him, her eyes sparkling, "Absolutely Seeley. We've still got lots of catching up to do."

Booth raised his eyebrows and Nia just grinned back at him.

Huw stepped in to rescue his friend, "My last game is at four. This pitch again. So see you here?"

"Sure. We'll try to make it for the game. See if we're going to have more dying seconds heroics!" Booth replied with a grin.

Huw shook his head and sighed, "Any game where I'm making better runs than the backs, we've got a serious problem." He looked down at Carys who was tugging impatiently on his hand.

"Time to go I think." He said and lifted his daughter into his arms.

Nia hugged Booth and Temperance, her eyes still dancing with delighted curiosity.

Carys waved and Huw gave Booth's hand a firm shake before giving Temperance a brief, one-armed hug. After wishing Booth good luck for his next game, Huw and his family headed off towards the fair.

* * *

The crowds seemed to be getting bigger as more people arrived to watch the competition. The sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. The good weather was drawing people out. 

"Are you hungry?" Booth asked as they walked towards pitch five, his arm wrapped firmly around Temperance's waist.

She shook her head, "I've been eating doughnuts and other junk all morning." She paused, "Maybe we can grab something more substantial after your game?"

"Sounds good." He glanced at his watch. "The squints'll be here soon," he said, not looking at her.

"Yes." Temperance stated simply, staring at the ground.

Booth took a deep breath and reached across to brush her cheek, "You okay with this... and them?"

They had stopped walking and Temperance was surprised by the uncertainty in his expression. There were plenty of emotions she associated with Special Agent Seeley Booth, but uncertainty was not one of them. She found it strange to think of him lacking confidence about anything, but at the same time she felt a strange reassurance that he wasn't taking things for granted. And if she was honest, she also felt relief that she wasn't the only one who was worrying about seeing their friends from the lab. As she tried to work through why the thought of seeing Ange and the others disturbed her, she realised that Booth's face was taking on a more distressful expression at her silence.

She leant in and brushed his lips lightly with a kiss, "It's fine." She paused, as his joyful smile lit up his face, "It's just a bit strange."

His smile dimmed slightly and Temperance continued talking.

"I mean I'm really happy... with this. Us." Her voice faltered and his grip tightened possessively, "It's just all a bit unreal. Seeing them will make it real."

Booth was looking worried again and Temperance frowned in frustration, "I can't explain it..."

Booth kissed her gently and felt the tension drain out of her. As the kiss ended, he spoke quietly, "I know what you mean. This is like a dream." He paused and flashed a wicked grin, "And yes, I've had a few dreams that start off something like this..." he leant in to kiss her again, "Now it's really happening and I'm, well, scared I guess of messing up - or worse, waking up. It's like the squints seeing us together somehow seals the deal. They see us together ergo we are together." He quirked an eyebrow. "That what you meant?"

She nodded silently and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close, pressing kisses into her hair.

"Angela is going to go crazy." He whispered with a laugh.

Temperance began to laugh as she pictured the look on Ange's face.

They stood apart slightly and grinned at one and other. A silent agreement passed between them and they headed off towards their pitch.

* * *

In the car park, Hodgins was cursing under his breath as a yellow-bibbed marshal waved him towards a narrow parking spot. He could hear Angela stifling a laugh from the passenger seat, then Zach piped up from the uncomfortable spot behind. 

"It would have been better to have brought a more practical vehicle."

Hodgins set his jaw and ignored them both, and the inner voice that told him that if he'd wanted to impress Angela with a sporty car he really should have chosen one that had a proper seat in the back, and one that he wasn't too bothered about getting dented in a giant, free-for-all of a car park. He also inwardly pleaded with himself to park it properly on the first attempt. Nothing was more pathetic than a guy with a flash car who couldn't park.

After two unsuccessful attempts to line up on the parking spot, Angela hopped out to guide him in. It worked. Hodgins hung his head for a moment, before Angela rapped on the window and indicated it was time to go.

Angela was amused by Hodgins antics, but was so fascinated by the hordes of people she could see in the distance that she didn't bother to tease. After Zach extricated himself from his very uncomfortable seat they walked towards the crowds. On their way, Angela stopped to buy a programme with a map of the site. Zach and Hodgins spent five minutes bickering over how to get to pitch five, before Angela snatched the programme back off them, studied the map for a moment and then started walking. They looked at one and other and then hurried after her.

Pitch five was actually not too far from the car park.

"Can you see any supporters in blue?" Angela asked, as she scanned the sidelines as they walked.

"No, oh, hang on over there.. uh, woah!" Hodgins halted and grabbed Angela and Zach's arms in a vicelike grip.

They both looked at him in surprise, but on seeing the look on his face then followed the line of his gaze. Two more jaws dropped and two more pairs of eyes stared in shock as they saw what Hodgins was looking at.

Standing twenty feet away, Booth had just stripped off his fleece, loosening his shirt once again. Temperance had taken the opportunity to circle her arms around his waist, touching the skin under his shirt. Her hands were caressing the warm, bare skin of his back. Booth was smiling at her and one hand brushed a lock of hair from her face and the other slid around her shoulders pulling her in closer. Their eyes were slowly closing as their lips met.

"Agent Booth is kissing Dr Brennan" Zach observed, breaking the silence.

For the first time in her life Angela couldn't think of a thing to say, Hodgins too, was momentarily stunned into silence.

Twenty feet away Booth reluctantly broke the kiss and smiled, "I need to go play."

Temperance nodded, but didn't release her hold.

Booth leant down to kiss her again, but as he did so he felt a strange prickle that they were being observed. Their lips grazed past each other as he turned his head. Temperance echoed his movement, and standing with their arms locked around one and other, cheeks pressed together, they saw their friends gaping at them in open mouthed astonishment.

The moment of revelation was a lot less scary than they had expected. Not least beacause of Angela, Hodgins and Zach's stupefied expressions. As one, Booth and Temperance grinned and each loosened an arm to wave.

* * *

Had to stick 'platform' and 'angles' in! Anyone who has ever watched BBC Wales coverage of rubgy will no how much the commentators babble on about both. They've always struck me as fabulously meaningless phrases. 


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N** - thank you for the reviews of the previous chapter.

* * *

After a split second, Angela recovered her wits and began to grin. Hodgins saw her face lighting up out of the corner of his eye and he felt a smile spread across his own features. He loosened his grip on his friends' arms and began rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully. 

Angela took a few steps forward and then turned back to face them, "Come on guys, I think Bren and our resident G-man have some explaining to do."

"Damn right!" Hodgins muttered under his breath, before clapping a still confused looking Zach on the back, "Snap out of it Zach, come on."

Hodgins hurried after Angela, unobtrusively placing his hand on the small of her back as they wound their way through the crowd.

Within moments they were face to face with a blushing forensic anthropologist and a grinning FBI agent, whose arms were still firmly linked around the other's waist.

"Hi guys." Booth said nonchalantly, his familiar cocky grin in place, looking for all the world as though there was nothing unusual about him and Bones kissing.

Temperance added her own more subdued greeting. Then, after a tiny pause, she looked straight at her three friends and dazzled them an uncharacteristically bright and infectious smile.

For Angela, the smile was the final straw. With an excited exclamation, she embraced her best friend and then Booth, before folding her arms, "Well?"

Booth and Temperance exchanged a silent look and shrugged.

Angela tried to glare at them, but her delight in her friends new found understanding made it rather difficult, "Come on..." She pleaded.

"Well Ange, it..." Temperance paused, "it just is."

Booth stifled a laugh at hearing his own lame explanation sounding even less convincing coming from Bones. He was about to speak when Scott, the Exiles' team captain yelled at him to join his team-mates on the pitch where they were waiting.

"Gotta go." He flashed smile at the squints before leaning in towards Temperance.

"Sorry." He whispered in her ear, before kissing her gently on the lips.

They stood back and gazed at each other, oblivious to everything else, "Pob luc, Booth."

He laughed quietly, realising that his linguistic advantage had been short-lived.

"Be careful." She admonished, before reaching up to kiss him.

Scott's shouts from the pitch were getting rather more insistent and Booth reluctantly pulled away. Their hands linked and then slowly falling to their sides. With a brief wave, he turned and jogged onto the pitch.

"Ready for the game?" Temperance asked, her hand gesturing to the pitch as she turned to watch.

"Sure." Angela said making the word sound very uncertain, but moving to stand alongside her friend next to the rope edging the pitch.

Hodgins surveyed the scene and came to a decision, "I need a coffee." He announced. "Angela? Brennan?"

They exchanged a glance and then nodded.

"Your usual?" He queried and got two more nods.

Zach's face was settling into a frown as he listened to the exchange. He was about to say something when Hodgins clapped him on the shoulder again.

"You're with me Zach." Hodgins said, leading Zach away from the other two. Hodgins added in a quiet undertone, "We want gory details, but our best chance is to give Angela some space to wring a confession."

Zach looked nonplussed at the reference to gory details but followed the older man with only a brief, curious backwards glance.

* * *

"Game's about to start." Temperance announced brightly, her eyes glued to the pitch, and Booth, who was warming up with the rest of the team by running along the edge of the pitch. After a moment she realised that Angela hadn't said anything and she turned towards her. 

Angela still had her arms folded and was looking questioningly at her.

Temperance smiled nervously.

There was another pause, before Angela cracked, "Come on sweetie, the suspense is killing me."

Angela peeled off the bright pink raincoat, which she was wearing but didn't look likely to need, and spread it out on the grass. "Come on, sit down and tell me everything."

Temperance hesitated for a second, thinking, and then realised that actually she did want to speak to someone about her and Booth and the seismic shift that had overtaken their relationship. She nodded slightly and sat down next to her friend.

* * *

As he stood in line waiting to be served, Hodgins could occasionally catch a glimpse of Angela or Brennan as the crowds between them shifted and parted. First it was a fleeting image of Angela, arms waving, mouth open in surprise, then the crowds obscured all again. A moment or two later, he caught Temperance, blushing rosily and looking down at her hands with a shy smile, before a boisterous group of children hid them from view again. Finally he saw Angela reach across and clasp her friend's hand, as they shared a quiet moment of reflection. 

"Why are we waiting in this queue?" Zach asked, bringing his attention back to the line for drinks.

"We want coffee." He replied.

Zach's forehead scrunched into a frown, "But we walked past two booths with shorter lines."

Hodgins tilted his head on one side, "And, obviously, we're killing time."

"Killing time?" Zach repeated.

For the millionth time Hodgins wondered how he ended up working with two geniuses who could be so dumb, although he had to admit that it looked like Brennan had finally figured things out.

"Yes Zach." He said patiently, "We don't want to rush back before Angela's finished grilling Brennan."

"Oh." Zach responded and nodded slightly.

* * *

As he jogged around the pitch, Booth watched Bones slowly opening up to Angela. He was reassured by the gentle smiles and the occasional laugh. In his own mind he began to adjust to the idea that he and Bones were now partners in a whole new sense of the word, as he had wanted for so long. 

The warm-up ended and he stood on the 22, not far from where Bones was sat.

She looked up and their eyes met.

They shared a smile.

Partners. Just as they had always been - and now more. Just as they always would be - and who knew who much more.

The end

* * *

**A/N **- Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story. Hope it was enjoyable. 


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